racer

This car is basically what a small time mechanic might have run in local races. It is a lower budget racer of the day. All parts are of the era with a couple of exceptions, the first being we added lap belts and the second we added small gas shocks in the rear to stabalize it.   In the rear the frame has been Z-ed 3" and the rear spring modified to lower it an inch more. In the front we have a 2 1/2" dropped axle and 1" dropped spindles. The engine is:

-stock block
-stock crank and rods.
-aluminum pistons (originals were cast iron)
-Rajo overhead valve conversion. (overhead valves as opposed to the flathead)
        Gives bigger valves, bigger ports, a flow through design, higher compression, and more lift at the valve            due to the use of rocker arms.
-hotter cam than stock also there is more gain in lift due to the use of rocker arms.
-we are running 3:1 gears in the rearend but the rear end has been converted to a Ruckstell two speed                        configuration. This essentially gives us an underdrive so we can split the gears.

This car in stock form would probably max out about 40mph. I've been clocked at 75mph in this and it had more to go.

This car was built by students of Vic Groah (my dad) in the Tulare Union High School Automotive program. The car was built to race in the Visalia Motorsports Festival and participated in the run from Bakersfield to Visalia as well as in races on the track at the Festival. I was the driver and one of my father's students, Justin was my riding mechanic. We had only a couple miles on it and had not been thoroughly tested prior to the races. The only problem we had during the run from Bakersfield was a thrown fan belt.